Chapter Forty-Nine
The Immortal Tribe had always been known for their dignified and mature demeanor, making such lively shouting truly rare. Before the immortals could even wonder why the Eagle Clan had appeared, their curiosity was piqued by the shouting. Just which Immortal Mansion’s Young Mistress had come to Hundred Birds Island to celebrate the Peacock King’s birthday, and why had she arrived alongside their sworn enemies, the Eagle Clan? Wasn’t that a bit too careless?
Gu Jin, who hadn’t shown the slightest ripple of emotion even when Hua Mo announced the marriage between Lan Feng and Hua Shu, stirred at the earth-shattering collision and the enthusiastic shouting. A trace of helplessness and a hint of delight—so faint he didn’t even notice it himself—flashed in his eyes.
“Senior Brother, Senior Brother! Hurry and lift the Barrier, let me in!” The crisp voice of a young woman continued to ring out above Hundred Birds Island, sounding utterly charming and innocent.
“Just which Lady is this?”
“Yes, whose is she?”
The immortals in the hall murmured among themselves, asking one another, all eager to go out and see the commotion. However, restrained by the Peacock King’s cold and stern expression, none dared to abruptly leave their seats.
Gu Jin coughed lightly, then cupped his hands toward the murmuring immortals and the Peacock King, resigning himself as he said, “Your Majesty, judging by the voice, it’s likely my little junior sister. She’s young and mischievous, and I apologize for disturbing all of you.”
Gu Jin’s junior sister? When had Dong Hua Shang Shen taken on another disciple? And a girl at that? How novel!
But how could a Lady from Great Marsh Mountain be mixed up with the Eagle Clan?
Without waiting for everyone’s full confusion to settle, Gu Jin rose first and headed out of the hall.
Once he stood up, Hua Mo could no longer remain seated in the hall and had no choice but to lead the other immortals out to follow him.
Outside the hall, a large golden eagle soared with wings spread wide. On its back sat cross-legged a girl of fifteen or sixteen, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, her features pure and innocent. She curved her large, dark eyes into a smile, radiating cleverness and charm.
The others saw nothing unusual about Ayin at first glance, but Gu Jin was taken aback by her utterly innocent appearance. A slight chill ran down his spine as he observed her smile, which seemed to hide a knife and an endless stream of murderous intent. He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was about to suffer.
Hua Shu, who had just become engaged to Lan Feng, had been basking in the congratulations of the immortals in the hall, her moment of being the center of attention not yet fully savored when this commotion erupted. Standing behind the Peacock King, she spotted Ayin, who had nearly ruined her plans on Great Marsh Mountain, and her impatience grew.
Hua Mo had always disliked the Eagle Clan and was about to ask how the Lady from Great Marsh Mountain had ended up arriving with them when Ayin’s cheerful voice chimed in at just the right moment.
“Senior Brother! The North Sea is huge, and I couldn’t find my way. I almost got swallowed by a water monster, but luckily Yan Shuang rescued me! Hurry and open the Sky-Shielding Umbrella to let me in!”
The Young Mistress, dressed in a green immortal robe, hugged the golden eagle’s neck as she shouted downward.
The Sky-Shielding Umbrella protected the sky above Hundred Birds Island. After being struck, it glowed with a soft Divine Light, firmly blocking the girl and the eagle outside the Barrier.
Gu Jin knew all too well the limits of Ayin’s meager immortal skills. Fearing she might have suffered along the way, he didn’t hesitate and quickly turned to Hua Mo, saying, “Your Majesty, my junior sister has always been timid and childlike in temperament. This is her first time descending the mountain alone, and she must have been frightened along the way. I beg Your Majesty to open the Barrier of Hundred Birds Island and allow her to enter.”Gu Jin knew there was animosity between the Peacock Clan and the Eagle Clan, but since that golden eagle had escorted Ayin all the way here, he couldn’t repay kindness with hostility by driving the eagle away. Moreover, with all the factions of the Immortal Realm gathered at Hundred Birds Island today, if the Eagle Clan truly intended to start a war, they wouldn’t choose such an occasion.
Hua Mo naturally understood this reasoning. Though his expression remained displeased, he waved his hand toward Hua Shu and instructed, “Shu’er, open the barrier and let them onto the island.”
Hua Shu frowned slightly, recited an Immortal Incantation, and with a wave of her hand, a surge of Immortal Power swept toward the barrier. The Divine Light of the Sky-Shielding Umbrella dimmed, and a gap opened in the sky above Hundred Birds Island.
However, Hua Shu’s actions revealed something unusual to several elder Immortal Lords, who let out soft exclamations of surprise, their faces showing confusion.
A Semi-Divine Artifact contains a Semi-Spirit within it. The fact that Hua Shu could activate it with just a few Immortal Incantations clearly indicated a deep bond between her and the Sky-Shielding Umbrella. Yet, before today’s banquet, the Sky-Shielding Umbrella was still Gu Jin’s Divine Artifact, merely borrowed by Hundred Birds Island. Surely something so underhanded couldn’t have happened…
Ayin narrowed her eyes and curled her lips into a faint smile, watching as Hua Shu opened the barrier under the watchful eyes of everyone before patting the golden eagle’s head and whispering, “Yan Shuang, let’s go down.”
The golden eagle circled gracefully in the air, spread its wings, and swooped down toward the island. With a long cry, it transformed into a young girl who landed before the assembled immortals.
The girl was clad in armor, her appearance striking and magnificent. Her exotic features, paired with the weapons she carried, gave her an exceptionally heroic aura, quite different from the Ladies usually seen.
Truly befitting the Eagle Clan, renowned throughout the Three Realms for their prowess in battle. Many Immortal Lords observed Yan Shuang with subtle nods of approval, quite impressed.
“Senior Brother!” Ayin hopped a couple of times on the ground, shaking her numb legs, then ran toward Gu Jin. She tugged at his sleeve and complained, “What’s going on? Doesn’t your Sky-Shielding Umbrella recognize me? Why did it attack me? It almost blasted Yan Shuang and me away just now!”
Ayin’s question to Gu Jin seemed innocent and pitiful, but it stirred something in the hearts of the immortals present, finally clarifying the strange feeling they had earlier.
The Sky-Shielding Umbrella was a Semi-Divine Artifact gifted by High God Dong Hua to his beloved disciple for protection. Presumably, Gu Jin had performed Blood-Binding Recognition when he first received the artifact. Logically, even if Hua Shu hadn’t intervened, Gu Jin should have been able to retract the Sky-Shielding Umbrella to let his junior sister onto the island. Yet, he had requested the Peacock King to have Hua Shu act to withdraw the barrier. Unless…
After a Divine Artifact undergoes Blood-Binding Recognition, there is only one reason the original owner can no longer use it—the artifact must have been Refined and Absorbed by someone using their Inner Core, becoming a Body-Protecting Weapon connected by blood to another.
Once the Immortal Lords outside the hall grasped this, their expressions toward the Peacock King’s family instantly turned subtle.
So it wasn’t that Great Marsh Mountain was being magnanimous by gifting the Semi-Divine Artifact out of gratitude. It turned out the Sky-Shielding Umbrella had already been Refined and Absorbed and simply couldn’t be taken back. This… this… this was utterly unscrupulous!
To think that someone had lent their Mountain-Guarding Treasure in a time of crisis out of goodwill, only for it to be quietly swallowed up without a word. The immortals glanced at Hua Shu, silently thinking to themselves that appearances could indeed be deceiving, and the depth of the sea could not be measured with a bucket.
The elder Immortal Lords immediately withdrew their lenient expressions, and even those who had always admired Hua Shu felt particularly uneasy.
The weight of everyone’s gazes felt like thorns against her skin. Hua Shu, accustomed to adoration and respect, had never endured such public disdain. If Lan Feng hadn’t been holding her hand to soothe her, she would have long since lost her composure and expelled Ayin and Yan Shuang from Hundred Birds Island."Ayin." Gu Jin saw the shame and anger on Hua Shu's face and had to consider the dignity of Hundred Birds Island. He patted the hand tugging at his sleeve and said, "Princess Hua Shu once did me a great favor years ago. I have already gifted the Sky-Shielding Umbrella to Princess Hua Shu as repayment for her protection back then. The Sky-Shielding Umbrella is now her protective Divine Artifact."
Ayin narrowed her eyes but remained silent, glaring at Gu Jin with fury.
When she and Yan Shuang rushed over from afar and were attacked by the Divine Power Barrier upon entering the island, she had sensed that the Sky-Shielding Umbrella had already been refined and absorbed by Hua Shu. Gu Jin had promised her back at Purple Moon Mountain that he would retrieve the Sky-Shielding Umbrella. There was no doubt that Princess Kong Que, coveting the treasure, had privately refined and absorbed the Divine Artifact. Not only had she come with the Star-Adorned Phoenix Crown to propose marriage, but she had also kept the protective Divine Artifact left by their master. Ayin was so enraged that she had Yan Shuang cause a commotion outside the island, drawing out the immortals to demand justice.
Now, this fatso Gu was openly gifting the Sky-Shielding Umbrella to Hua Shu in front of everyone, clearly to save her face. Was he really abandoning his master’s legacy for the sake of his new bride? What a scoundrel who would betray his principles for beauty!
Ayin had missed the first half of the banquet, so she didn’t know that Gu Jin’s Star-Adorned Phoenix Crown was safely stored in the Cosmic Bag, nor did she know that Hua Shu and Lan Feng were engaged. Her anger surged, and she glared at Gu Jin with eyes that could spit fire, her back turned to the crowd.
Seeing Ayin grow even angrier, Gu Jin realized she had misunderstood. For some reason, he suddenly felt clever and rather pleased. He grabbed Ayin just as she was about to storm off, his voice lifting with a hint of laughter. "You’ve come at just the right time. High Lord Lan Feng and Princess Hua Shu have just become engaged. They will hold their wedding at the Heavenly Palace on the Double Ninth Festival. It seems that besides wishing Emperor Hua Mo a long life, you’ll also have to toast the newlyweds."
With just this low chuckle from Gu Jin, Ayin’s anxiety from rushing over in a frenzy and her burning anger were completely extinguished. She froze for a moment, then a sudden spark of light flashed in her eyes. Stumbling over her words, she asked, "Shixiong, what did you say? Princess Hua Shu is engaged? To High Lord Lan Feng?"
The plot twist was so abrupt... Ayin felt that her Primordial Power hadn’t even been unleashed before the situation happily veered off onto another storyline.
Seeing Gu Jin nod, Ayin turned gracefully toward Lan Feng and Hua Shu, and with one glance, she noticed their tightly clasped hands. Ayin’s eyes curved into a wide smile as she nodded repeatedly. "Shixiong, you’re right. We must offer our sincere congratulations."
She hurried over to Lan Feng in a few quick steps, unable to hide her delight. Grabbing the High Lord’s remaining hand, she shook it vigorously. "High Lord Lan Feng, congratulations! May you two enjoy a harmonious union for a hundred years and have children soon." She chattered on for a bit, then couldn’t resist adding with a grin, "High Lord, you truly have excellent taste!"
Suddenly caught up in Ayin’s antics, Lan Feng met the playful look in the young girl’s eyes. Though he knew there was more to her words, he couldn’t bring himself to be stern with such a young lady. He simply withdrew his hand with a smile and patted Ayin on the head.
"Lan Feng thanks the Young Mistress for her kind words. When Hua Shu and I marry on the Double Ninth Festival, you and Immortal Lord Gu Jin must come and share a cup of wedding wine."
Lan Feng’s smile was gentle, his eyes clear and sincere. Ayin was taken aback by the ease and openness in his words, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. Her face flushed, and she lowered her gaze.This High Lord Lan Feng seems to be a decent man—it’s rather unkind of me to mock and belittle him like this. It’s just a shame he’s taken a liking to that Hua Shu, who’s all black-hearted on the inside!
Seeing Hua Shu’s expression darken with anger, Gu Jin quickly pulled back his little junior sister, who was gloating without a care, and hid her behind him, stepping in to smooth things over.
“My junior sister is impulsive. Please do not take offense, High Lord Lan Feng.”
The immortals present, accustomed to refined and courteous congratulatory speeches, had barely begun to digest the somewhat odd well-wishes from the Young Mistress of Great Marsh Mountain when a hearty laugh rang out from the side.
Ayin’s temperament was truly too much—the insincerity in her words was more than a little obvious. Yan Shuang, who had been holding back for a while, couldn’t contain herself any longer and accidentally let out a laugh.
Her laughter shifted the trouble eastward. Hua Shu, whose banquet had been disrupted and who had been holding back her frustration for some time, let out a cold snort, took a step forward, and glared coldly at Yan Shuang. “Yan Shuang, you have quite the nerve to dare show your face at my Hundred Birds Island!”
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